1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to balloons; and, more particularly, to games, and methods of playing and assembling the same, employing relatively small, soft: (i) balls--e.g., simulated basketballs, footballs, pinballs, etc.--or similar projectiles and/or other projectable objects; and (ii), targets--e.g., basketball hoops and/or nets, goal posts, a clown's face, pockets having different values, etc.--all of which are adapted to be inserted into, and totally contained within, a conventional uninflated balloon in such a manner that, after inflation of the balloon and sealing thereof in a conventional manner, a child or other player can utilize the game by: (a) grasping the balloon; (b) stretching the lower extremity of the balloon--for example, the sealed inflation aperture and constricted neck portion of the balloon--to retract the ball, or other soft projectile, in much the fashion of a slingshot; (c) aiming the retracted soft projectile at the target(s) fixedly mounted within the balloon's interior; and (d), releasing the stretched lower extremity of the balloon while attempting to direct the projectile at, into and/or through the particular target at which it has been aimed.
In use, the target, projectile and balloon may be separately packaged in discrete kit form, thus requiring insertion of the target(s) and projectile(s) into the balloon prior to inflation by the user or some other individual; or, alternatively, the game may be prepackaged with the projectile(s) and target(s) already inserted within the uninflated balloon so that the user need merely inflate the balloon and seal it to render the game operative. In either case, the balloon will preferably include preprinted matter on the balloon itself which can be used to locate the target, as well as to provide a pictorial background appropriate to the particular game involved--including, for example, a scoreboard permitting the user(s) to keep score by simply reflecting the ongoing score on the balloon's surface with an erasable grease pencil or the like. The pictorial background material may further include one or more of drawings of players, stands, spectators, and/or other objects which are environmental to the particular game.
2. Background Art
There are many occasions when balloons are employed as decorations, party favors and the like--for example, at children's birthday parties. Generally, however, such balloons serve simply to provide a decorative effect; and, they are rarely, if ever, used for their potential entertainment value as a game in which the user(s) can participate. Indeed, from the standpoint of a participant-active game, the only game of which the present inventor is aware where balloons are commonly used is that in which sealed balloons are attached to a backboard and the game participants attempt to burst the balloons by throwing darts at them.
There have, however, been some limited attempts to provide balloons with foreign objects inserted inside for some particular purpose, be it decorative or otherwise. For example, an exemplary patent illustrating such an arrangement is U.S. Pat. No. 1,471,886--Dessau, a patent which issued almost sixty-five (65) years ago. Thus Dessau suggests that a favor in the form of an airplane, or other device, be formed of crepe rubber ". . . which can easily be fashioned into varying shapes and can be temporarily rolled up into a compact form. . . ." so that it can ". . . be passed through the inflation aperture. . . ." of the balloon (Dessau Specification, Lines 27-31). This particular patent does not, however, either disclose or suggest the incorporation of a participant-active game within a balloon which can be played by the holder of the balloon.
Other prior art patents of interest include U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,635,387--Anderson [a toy balloon novelty item employing a special valve configuration enabling inflation of a second balloon inside a first balloon ; 2,625,770--Steen, et al [a self-sealing toy balloon again providing for inflation of a second balloon within a first balloon ; and, 2,927,383--Longino [a balloon world satellite employing a pair of spaced, inflated, concentric, spherical body members and a satellite captive within the space therebetween]. Again, however, such patents do not either disclose or suggest the use of a participant-active game inserted within a conventional balloon.
Another patent of interest is that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,870,298--Varga, a patent which discloses a balancing toy including a post and an integral ring which captures an elongated balloon. While this is clearly a balloon related toy, no provision or suggestion is made for inserting a participant-active game therein.
Other patents of interest contemplate the employment of specially designed inflatable devices which are not conventional balloons and which are exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,232,477--Lin [an inflatable hassock-shaped toy]; 4,335,538--Greenberg [an inflatable overhead crib gym toy]; and, 4,639,232--Wang. [a toy having an envelope enclosing a movable mechanism]. Generally stated, the foregoing patents disclose relatively complicated devices formed of a plurality of pieces of material which are heat sealed together after toys and the like are inserted therein to form an enclosed, sealed, inflatable device. However, while these patents relating to inflatable devices do disclose the insertion of toys and/or other objects into the device, they do not disclose or suggest the insertion of a participant-active game therein.
Yet another patent of incidental interest is U.S. Pat. No. 1,229,794--Salzer which discloses an illuminated toy balloon and lighting effect which is achieved by inserting a flashlight-shaped object through the inflation aperture and partially into an uninflated balloon.
However, none of the foregoing patents, nor any other prior art of which the present inventor is aware, contemplates the use of a balloon as the container for an active game which can be participated in by young and old alike. More specifically, such prior art is utterly foreign to the concept of inserting an object--be it a soft, small basketball, football or clown's nose--within a balloon for projection at one or more targets--e.g., a hoop or net, goal post, clown's face or other receptacle(s) or object(s) mounted within the balloon--by the simple expedient of stretching the lower extremity of the inflated sealed balloon in much the same manner as a slingshot and releasing it in a controlled fashion so as to enable the balloon itself to generate the motive power to project the object within the balloon at, and hopefully into or through, the target(s).